THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach DeBoer.
Q. Lineup tonight? Same?
COACH DeBOER: Same.
Q. Pete, their layoff prior to the series was discussed a lot. Now
there’s been another bit of a layoff. Who do you think it favors?
COACH DeBOER: You know, I don’t have an answer to that. I don’t
know. I don’t think it’s a perfect scenario, all the days off. I don’t
think anyone enjoys that. You want to play. You get to this point, you
know, as coaches you get tired at looking at tape, analyzing, you analyze
it to death. From a player’s perspective, you know, they have that nervous
energy. The only release is dropping the puck and playing.
I don’t think it favors either side. It is what it is and you just
deal with it the best you can.
Q. When you’re within your conference in the playoffs, there’s that
natural animosity that comes with familiarity. Do you think either of
these two teams had trouble maybe generating some of that early in the
game, that good old-fashioned hatred that comes with the finals?
COACH DeBOER: I don’t think so. You’re playing for the Stanley Cup.
If the compete level isn’t at the highest point it’s ever been during your
career or during the season, then there’s an problem. I don’t think that’s
an issue.
You know, I would doubt you’re going to see any fighting. I think
both teams’ discipline is at a premium. We’re both good five-on-five
teams. I don’t think either of us wants to get into a specialty team game.
You’re not going to see any of that stuff.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a war at ice level for ice and
puck battles and space. As you saw by the head count the other night, it
was 70-something hits, which is a high, high number.
Q. The guys, the extras this time of year, do they do anything other
than just be there as support?
COACH DeBOER: Sure. They’re working hard to stay ready. We’ve used
Adam Larsson, Petr Sykora. Tallinder is available. You might see him as
the series goes forward here.
Those guys are viable options for us. Every time we play, the next
day we discuss our lineup for the next night. Those guys’ names are always
discussed. They’ve got to keep themselves ready.
It’s not an easy job, but they’re ready.
Q. (Question regarding Brodeur.)
COACH DeBOER: He’s the best, you know. Consummate pro. I’ve never
been around a guy like him before. He does his job better than anybody
that I’ve been associated with. He comes with a smile on his face every
day. He’ll stay out on the ice as long as you want to take shots on him.
He acts like he’s, you know, a 13-year-old from an energy point of view,
not 38. Amazing man.
Q. I’ve heard it said that the emotional level increases with each
round of the playoffs. You talked about how many hits there are in the
game. This is your first trip here. Did you notice from the Conference
Finals, it was ramped up a little bit?
COACH DeBOER: You know what, I think we’ve had to redline our game
really from Game 7 against Florida, through the Philadelphia series,
through the Rangers series. I’m not sure there’s another level of emotion
or compete in our group. It’s just been consistently bringing that to the
rink every night.
You know, if we hadn’t brought or redlined our complete level through
those other series, we wouldn’t have survived them.
Q. You said Tallinder might be available later in the series. Are
there any precautions you have to take with the blood clot in the leg or
something you don’t worry about anymore?
COACH DeBOER: Sure, you worry about it. Our doctors, trainers and
him have a comfort level or he wouldn’t be traveling with us. It’s
definitely an issue.
I think a lot of people point to airplane flight as the cause for
that.
Q. What will your comfort level be with Tallinder, putting him into
this position, given his layoff?
COACH DeBOER: Well, you’re never sure. I do know this: I know he’s
kept himself in great shape. He looks good in practice. Before he went
out, he was a top-two defenseman for us.
You miss two, two and a half months. It didn’t hurt Zajac coming
back in. I know you’re jumping into the Stanley Cup Final, not into the
last week of the regular season. But Josefson jumped in last round against
the Rangers coming off six weeks out with a broken wrist, and it didn’t
hurt him.
You know, you hope you get the desired result, but you never know.
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